1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to sailboats and, more specifically, to iceboats.
2. Description of the Art
Iceboats have proven to be a popular type of sailing craft in colder climates. An iceboat typically includes a small, elongated hull, a plank connected to the rear end of the hull and extending outward from the hull, and three runners or skates, one mounted on a springboard extending forwardly of the front end of the hull and one on each outer end of the plank. A sail is mounted on a mast and a boom attached to the mast in much the same manner as on a sailboat. The mast is located in front of the forward end of the cockpit in the hull.
However, the forward mounted mast places the sail in a location generally in front of and to the side of the occupant in the cockpit which has a tendency to block the view to one side of the iceboat. This could result in a dangerous situation, particularly due to the high speeds of iceboats as compared to the much slower sailboats in water.
The sail, as in a sailboat, generates forces on the hull. Thus, the hull must be large and strong enough for the particular class sail to support the forces generated by the mast and sail.
Double masted sailboats have been devised in which two main sails are mounted on a multi-hull boat, such as a catamaran or a trimaran. A mast is mounted on each outboard hull.
It would be desirable to provide a double mast iceboat which presents a unique design for an iceboat. It would also be desirable to provide a double mast iceboat which positions the sails and masts substantially behind the occupant of the iceboat for better visibility. It would also be desirable to provide a double mast iceboat in which the sail/mast position provides a weight distribution which makes it easier to turn the iceboat than in previous iceboats. It would also be desirable to provide a double mast iceboat which enables both sails to be shorter in height and narrower in overall length as compared to a conventional single sail mounted on prior iceboats so as to reduce hiking and load forces on the hull thereby enabling the hull size and weight to be reduced over previously devised iceboats.